Not Enough Time
by Bay Alexison
Summary: Riza is having a hard time telling Roy the big news.


**Author's Note: **Story set a few years after the ending of the series. This was for the Australian Floods Fund Relief auction that was taking place at livejournal back in January. The person that won the bid for my offer gave the prompt of Riza confessing to Roy she's pregnant. Well, enjoy!

**Not Enough Time**

"Hayate, dinner!" Riza shouted after pouring dog food into the bowl.

Immediately, her dog rushed inside the kitchen and buried his face in the bowl, chewing on the food loudly. The woman smiled, but then frowned.

_How am I going to tell him?_

Today Roy was away out of town with Madame Christmas, his foster mother and aunt. They had been planning this get-together for weeks, trying to figure out when they both had their schedules free at the same time. With her husband being a General and Chris' new establishment gaining a lot of business, it had taken a while for the aunt and nephew to find time to spend together.

Riza chuckled sadly. Time; the one thing all of them needed.

Before the alchemist left, she wasn't feeling well. This caused Roy to worry, but Riza reassured him that she would go see a doctor right away at Central Headquarters. She did, and the news the doctor told her turned her world upside down.

"_Congratulations, you're pregnant!"_

At that moment, the woman wished she had brought Black Hayate with her so that she could throw him at the lady's beaming face.

The married couple had discussed the possibility of children before, but had agreed to wait for a while—there was too much work that needed to be done. No time to look over a kid, as they had decided that their careers came first.

Riza was distracted from her thoughts when she heard the door opened and Black Hayate running into the living room. She quickly walked out of the kitchen and saw Roy petting the dog, a huge smile on the man's face.

"Enjoyed your time with your aunt?" she asked, smiling. She then sat down on the sofa, a frown stretching across her face.

As soon as Riza's dog rushed back to the kitchen, Roy went to sit next to her.

"Yes," he said before kissing her left cheek. "So, were you able to visit the doctor at headquarters?"

She felt as if her heart was being clenched tightly. Riza was still unsure how to bring the news to him; the best way to approach this kind of situation was gently and slowly.

"I did, and…"

"And?"

Riza took a mental deep breath. "Before I continue on, let me ask you something. Do you still want to have a child?"

There was a puzzled look on her husband's face. "Well, yes, but everything's so hectic at the moment and I'm unsure when we'll manage to take care of one." Suddenly, Roy's eyes grew wide with shock. "Wait… Are you asking me this because you're…?"

"Pregnant?" Riza threw Roy a sad smile and nodded. "Yes."

A long silence hung between the couple. Riza took a quick glance at Roy; he looked… distant. She wondered what was going on inside his head— perhaps he was thinking the same thing she was earlier. A gasp escaped from her mouth, though, when he took her hands in his.

"This _is_ unexpected, but…" The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin. "Now that I think about it, this is the perfect time for us to have one."

All of the sudden, her husband leaned in and touched his lips to hers. Their kiss deepened and it took Riza all of her willpower not to pin Roy down on the sofa. They soon finished and that left the female military officer with cheeks blushing light red. She then remembered what Roy had said to her after telling him she was expecting a child, which caused her to blink out of confusion.

"Wait, earlier you said everything is too hectic at the moment for us to have one."

Without hesitation, the general nodded. "Yes, I know. However, if we keep delaying from wanting a family, when will we finally get that chance?"

Riza lowered her head, her eyes on her lap. She admitted to herself, they _had_ put this off for a while. Many people asked them if they planned to have a child as they were now in their mid-thirties. Perhaps a baby in their lives now was for the best before the both of them were too old to have one. But still, were they ready?

"I guess you're right. This was a long time coming, but I wish we planned this beforehand. Also, who is going to take care of the baby while we're at work?"

Silence held them up once more. That was one of the things she and Roy hadn't discussed over yet because they didn't think a child would come into the picture until much later. Now that she was pregnant, that was one of the issues that needed to be brought onto the table.

"You know, Hayate is home all the time. He can look after the baby!" the man suggested with a huge smile.

Riza shot him a glare. "Roy…"

The man gave a lighthearted chuckle and held his hands up. "I was joking." Immediately, his grin disappeared. "Well, have you considered retiring early? We'll get by fine with just me working."

Indeed, Roy made more than enough to support the both of them (and helping out his aunt too). An early retirement from the military was also a more feasible option for her to take, but she wasn't the kind of person that wanted to stay home all day. Riza admired Mrs. Hughes for being a housewife, but her personality was different from the other woman's.

"Not in a long while. Besides, I still need to watch your back."

"Good point." Roy began scratching his chin, deep in thought. "We can let Gracia watch over our child. Her daughter can help too."

"True, but they've been busy lately. I don't want our child to be a bother to them."

"Perhaps. How about your grandfather? He's been retired for a while already. I think he won't mind taking care of our child while we're away."

Several months ago Riza's grandfather Grumman had retired from being Fuhrer and Olivier Armstrong took over his position. Riza had already found out about her familial relationship with him a while back, but it was still unbelievable to her she now had a living relative to talk to and spend time with. He didn't live too far from her and Roy, so the couple visited him once in a while when they could. Riza wanted to slap herself for not thinking that earlier.

"Yeah, he won't mind," she said, showing a slight smile.

Riza scooted closer to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. Her mind began racing over that a new addition was coming into their lives. She was afraid something might go wrong—it had been a while since she was this terrified.

"I'm already scared of not being a good mother," she whispered, eyes flickering with worry.

She took a quick glance at Roy and saw him wearing a similar expression. There was no doubt he was just as frightened at being a parent too. His lips slipped into a calm smile not long after, though.

"Me too, but we'll get through."

They gave each other a quick kiss and then Roy slid his hand down to Riza's abdomen. She liked how his touch felt so warm and comforting. As the two pressed their foreheads together, Riza couldn't help but feel a little excited about being a mother now. There would be mistakes along the way, but no matter what she and Roy would give their child the love and care he or she needed.


End file.
